Discovering Destiny (Part 71): God Can Do What No One On Earth Can Do
Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future. On Friday, God showed us how Daniel's story ends. Today, we go back to the night the trouble started.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Peter 3:18 GNT
"But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."
Luke 10:20 Mirror
"It's time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven's perspective."
1 John 3:10 Mirror
"There is a very visible and vast difference between living one's life from your God identity or from a fallen man's mindset."
Proverbs 25:2 NKJV
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter."
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Daniel 2:10-11 ERV
"The Chaldeans answered the king. They said, 'There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking! No king has ever asked the wise men, the men who do magic, or the Chaldeans to do something like this. Not even the greatest and most powerful king has ever asked his wise men to do such a thing. The king is asking something that is too hard to do. Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don't live with people.'"
Daniel 2:12-13 NLT
"The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king's decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends."
Supporting scriptures:
John 16:33 ERV
"I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"
Psalm 34:19 NLT
"The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time."
Jeremiah 32:27 AMPC
"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?"
John 1:14 NLT
"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son."
Colossians 1:27 NLT
"For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory."
Daniel 2:47-48 NLT
"The king said to Daniel, 'Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.' Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men."
Psalm 31:15 AMPC
"My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me."
Isaiah 54:17 AMPC
"But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord."
Setting the Stage:
In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that disturbed him so badly that he could not sleep. So he did what kings did in those days. He called in the experts: the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the astrologers. These were the best minds in Babylon, the men the king paid to know what nobody else knew.
The wise men said, "King, tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means." That was how it always worked. But this time, Nebuchadnezzar changed the rules. He said, in so many words, "No. You tell me the dream, and then you tell me what it means. If you can do it, I will give you gifts and great honor. If you cannot, I will have you torn limb from limb and turn your houses into piles of rubble." The wise men asked again, and the king accused them of stalling for time.
Finally, Babylon's best experts admitted the truth: "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking!... Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don't live with people." And the Bible says, "The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king's decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends."
Now think about that. Daniel was not in the room. He did not fail the test. Nobody asked him anything. But a decree went out, and Daniel's name was on it. Here is what I want you to see today. I have taught you this for years: when the power and systems of this world fail, it creates an open door of opportunity for God and His children.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Trouble Can Find You Even When You Did Nothing To Cause It.
Daniel was minding his own business, serving God, and doing his job. He was not in the meeting. He did not fail the king. And still, the king sent armed men to find him. Some trouble comes because of choices we make, but some trouble just shows up at your door. As I have told you many times: God does not create bad situations. The enemy does. But God can turn them around for His glory. Jesus said, "In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!" And David said, "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time." Trouble came looking for Daniel, but God was already ahead of it.
How this applies to you:
-- Daniel was not in the room, but his name was on the list. Sometimes the same thing happens to us. But don’t panic; God already prepared you.
-- Some of you are dealing with a mess you did not make. A layoff, a lawsuit, a family crisis, or somebody else's bad decision landed on your doorstep. God is not surprised by it.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He planned it knowing every trouble you would face.
-- Trouble is not proof that God left you. The way the situation plays out may actually be proof that God is with you.
-- Stop asking, "Why me?" Start asking, "God, what are You about to do?"
-- Jesus never promised you a life without trouble. He promised you would overcome it.
-- The Lord comes to the rescue each time. Not some of the time. Every time.
-- When you're faced with trouble (even trouble came looking for you when you were minding your own business), just remember that God is with you, and He has prepared you for such a time as this!
2. When The World Runs Out Of Answers, God Is Just Getting Started.
Think about who failed in this story. Not the beginners. The experts. These were the most educated, most trusted, most expensive advisors in the most powerful kingdom on earth, and they had to admit, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking!" Babylon's wisdom hit a wall. Where human ability ends, the grace of God begins. The wise men were right that no human could do it. They forgot that God is not human. God asked Jeremiah, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?"
How this applies to you:
-- "Impossible" is where the world stops and where God starts. God specializes in impossible situations.
-- When the doctors say they have done all they can do, or the lawyers throw up their hands, we still have hope, because God can still do what man cannot do.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He never planned it around human limits.
-- Babylon's experts had an answer for everything, until the king asked for the impossible. The world's wisdom has a ceiling. God's wisdom has no limit.
-- Do not panic when the people you trusted run out of ideas. That is the moment God steps in.
-- Over 2,600 years ago, Jeremiah asked this question: Is anything too hard for God? Guess what? The answer is still no.
-- Your problem may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than God.
3. The God They Said Does Not Live With People Lives In You.
Look at the last thing the wise men said: "Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don't live with people." In their minds, only gods could solve their problem. But here is what the sorcerers of Babylon did not know. Our God does live with people. And He empowers people to operate in ways that far exceed their humanity. John said, "So the Word became human and made his home among us." And Paul said, "And this is the secret: Christ lives in you." The answer Babylon said was out of reach is living on the inside of you.
How this applies to you:
-- Babylon's gods lived far away. Your God lives inside of you. You take him with you into every meeting, conversation, and activity.
-- You are never facing an impossible situation alone.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He put Himself inside you to help you walk it out.
-- The wise men said only the gods could do it. They were right about that part. They were wrong about where God lives.
-- Christ in you is the answer the world cannot find.
-- Religion tells you to reach up to a distant God. Grace teaches you that God came down to you.
-- If God could do the humanly impossible through Daniel, a young slave without the Holy Spirit, then what is it that He cannot do through you?
-- God did not take residence inside of you to watch you. He moved in to work with you. Paul said, "We are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God." You are God's partner. Walk into this day acting like it.
4. What No One On Earth Can Do, God Can Do Through You.
Babylon's experts said, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking!" They were right. No man on earth could do it. But God could, and He did it through Daniel. Later in this chapter, Daniel stands before the same king who signed his death sentence, and he tells Nebuchadnezzar the dream and what it means. The king said, "Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries." Then he made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief over all his wise men. The man whose name was on the death list ended up in charge of everyone on it. David said, "My times are in Your hands." And Isaiah said, "But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper." The decree formed. It did not prosper.
How this applies to you:
-- No man on earth could tell the king his dream. God told Daniel.
-- The impossible request that put Daniel on the death list is the same request that got him promoted.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He plans to do things through you that no one else on earth can do.
-- Daniel did not know the dream yet, but he knew the God who did.
-- "My times are in Your hands." Not the king's hands, not the boss's hands, and not the enemy's hands.
-- No weapon formed against you shall prosper. It may form. It will not prosper.
-- Tomorrow, we will see what Daniel did when the officers showed up. He did not panic. He answered with wisdom.
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You are not surprised by my trouble!
You come to my rescue every time!
Where my ability ends, Your grace begins!
Nothing is too hard for You!
When the world runs out of answers, You have one!
The God of all flesh lives in me!
Christ in me is my hope and my answer!
What no one on earth can do, You can do through me!
My times are in Your hands!
In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!
This is Today's Word. Apply it and prosper!
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